Further to the below.. - Smarty has a 60 day EU roaming limit fair use policy: https://cdn.smarty.co.uk/files/SMARTY-Price-Guide.pdf - Plusnet no longer accepts new customers but refers to EE - £31 for 125GB with Roam Abroad Pass (EU+US). I can't find restrictions in their T&Cs but uSwitch in 2021 said 60d/120d max roaming.
Which leaves: - Lebara says this deep inside their T&Cs.. arguably £2/GB and I use around 4GB so I can expect £8 surcharge on top of a £10 for 15GB plan *This scheme is designed for customers who primarily live in the UK and ideal for short trips to other places in the EU. To safeguard against abuse, If your roaming usage is greater than usage in the UK over any continuous 120 day period, you will be subject to a surcharge of 0.20p/MB (equivalent to £2/GB) for data, 0.04p/sec (equivalent to 2.4p/min) for outgoing calls, 0.01p/sec (equivalent to 0.6p/min) for incoming calls and 0.8p for sending an SMS.* Outside EU eg USA Lebara charge 50p/min and £15/MB, same for most ME/AP - Gradwell - £15 for 10GB with EU (or £25 for 100GB but my needs are <5GB). Outside EU eg USA charges are £1/min, £1/MB. Rising up to £5/min, £15/MB in ME/AP. So, a bit cheaper on Lebara but some concern on their restrictions, Gradwell is more clear and only a £couple more, unless you go further afield when it gets pricey, but of course we can always find Peter.. :-) Steve On Thu, 30 Mar 2023 at 20:10, Stephen Wilcox <[email protected]> wrote: > Summarising replies so far including quite a few private ones.. > suggestions have been Lebara, Smarty, Gradwell, Twilio (virtual), AAISP > (virtual), Plusnet, O2 and Voda.. > > Aside from a good deal on the contract and roaming fees, the issue is in > the detail, it seems some operators including Three implemented a "Fair Use > Policy" over the last couple years which is where the catch lies - in > Three's case you can't use the service in EU for 2 consecutive months else > you get the breach and suspension notice I did. Out of date comparisons > like uSwitch & Which suggests other major operators may have similar > tripwires hidden deep in the policies linked to their terms and that's what > I'm keen to avoid. > > uSwitch made this list in 2021: > https://www.uswitch.com/mobiles/guides/best-network-for-international-roaming/ > > .. operators with fair use policy eg max 2mo abroad of every 3-4mo: Three, > Voda, O2 (note even tho Three is listed, it is only now in 2023 that they > are giving me a notice) > > Not sure if that 2021 list is accurate, but if so for extended roaming on > a real SIM, it leaves Lebara, Smarty, Gradwell, Plusnet. > > Steve > > > On Thu, 30 Mar 2023 at 19:58, Keith Mitchell <[email protected]> wrote: > >> On 3/29/23 14:35, Stephen Wilcox wrote: >> >> > I spend most of my time outside the UK and while I do have a local SIM, >> > I need my UK number to be active as a bare minimum so I can access UK >> > Gov, banking, basically anything with 2FA which is UK specific. Not to >> > mention it's been my main contact number for over 20 years. >> > >> > Do any of you know what providers are offering good packages with a >> > focus on not too crazy roaming charges which do not place a time period >> > in the contract on which you can't stay outside the UK - information on >> > uSwitch etc suggests most operators have offered a time limit stance >> but >> > the pages I found are 1-2 years old so thought I'd ask the collective. >> >> I have a UK Voda contract which includes charge-free roaming to EU, US >> and most other useful countries. It is not exactly cheap, and there's >> contradictory information about what the data cap is exactly, but I've >> never had any issues with multi-month absences (longest 16mo during >> Covid, usually 3-4months) from the UK threatening the contract. OTOH I >> almost never turn on the data roaming while in the US, just voice and >> text for banking etc 2FA. >> >> Voda do at least seem to have finally got their heads around VoLTE >> roaming, which was initially a big mess to/from the US when the 3G >> shutdowns kicked off. >> >> Keith >> >> >> > > -- Stephen Wilcox BSO | IX Reach E: [email protected] M: +44 7966 048633 <+44%207966%20048633> M: +1 305 613 9492 <(305)%20613-9492> -- *CONFIDENTIALITY AND DISCLAIMER NOTICE: * This email is intended only for the person to whom it is addressed and/or otherwise authorized personnel. The information contained herein and attached is confidential. If you are not the intended recipient, please be advised that viewing this message and any attachments, as well as copying, forwarding, printing, and disseminating any information related to this email is prohibited, and that you should not take any action based on the content of this email and/or its attachments. 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